We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Tuesday, May 3. 2016

I think he is partly right, but I think he underestimates the amount of votes he will have across all sorts of demographics. I will vote for him despite his flaws. They always have flaws. One quote:

Trump supporters are tired of hearing that black lives matter, while no one mentions that all lives matter. They are sick of seeing protestors wave the flag of the country they do not wish illegal aliens to be sent back to and trash the country they under no circumstances want them to leave. They don’t like getting a letter from an IRS that employs Lois Lerner — a letter that would be ignored with impunity by those who are here illegally, or who run the Clinton Foundation. They are tired of wealthy minorities claiming they are perpetual victims of ill-treatment at the hands of people who are less well off than they. They don’t like hearing from elites that huge trade deficits have little to do with loss of jobs or that cheating by our trade partners is just a passing glitch in free trade. They cannot stand lectures from those who make more money in an hour than they do in a year about their own bad habits or slothfulness.

They don’t know what the on-screen savants mean by a leg-tingle or a perfectly pressed pant leg or a first-class temperament or a president as god — and they don’t care to find out. They do not hate political correctness so much as one-sided political correctness, which gives a pass to some to say things that would get others fired or ruined. They don’t want to be lectured that their own plight is part of a larger, healthy creative destruction or a leaner, meaner competitiveness or an overdue restructuring — by those who are never destroyed, rendered noncompetitive, or restructured. And they don’t like to be talked down to by the experts who ran up $10 trillion in debt, ruined the health-care system, dismantled the military, and screwed up the Secret Service, the IRS, NASA, and the VA. Trump is their megaphone, not their solution. The Trump supporters have seen plenty of politicians with important agendas, but few with the zeal to push them through; at this late date, they would apparently prefer zeal without agendas to agendas without zeal.

I have followed this presidential campaign closely, on websites of the right and the left so that I would not get a too badly skewed impression or echo chamber. Leaning right, I focused more on the Republican contest with a few mild preferences, but open to persuasion by any of them.

I'm appalled and disgusted by Trump himself, his media cheerleaders, and especially his thuggish comment section fans. I will never vote for the guy, and I'm furious that the Republican party has become so weakened it can be destroyed by the fungus-like hostile takeover by the Trump forces. Most cycles my favored candidate does not win the nomination, but this is different, it is nihilism and decay and decadence out of control.

I have always been an American optimist, even through these last fifteen often disappointing years. But now with Trump and Hillary, it looks very much like America has taken a hit in the hull and is listing hard to port, in danger of going under. The country is truly losing its senses, and hard times undoubtedly lie ahead that we are poorly prepared to face.

James, you are NOT an "American optimist"; you are a pusillanimous pussy! You are obviously horrified by the "rough and tumble, sharp elbows" campaign run so successfully by Trump, at so little cost to himself. Yeah, a really dumb person he is, to wring out, what $2 billion worth of exposure from the MSM? By all means avoid any reading of American history that would expose you to the presidential campaigns of the early 1800's through the Civil War---you might need a fainting couch to recover! Calling Lincoln a "gorilla?" Why I never....

Go back and re-read the cited segment of VDH's essay on Trump, several times, instead of typing such self-righteous tripe as your comment here.

The National Review in general believes we should just shut up and follow the Republican Oligarchy that has done nothing to protect the U.S. from the Democrats and crony capitalists. Mr. Hanson delivers a more balanced commentary, but I'm tired of the hubris these Conservative not-for-profits, whose board member earn salaries well into the six-figures and never, never, never touch the same ground as most Americans, who allow the Constitution to be trampled. For sources on their salaries:

I can't believe we're going to have a game show host for the GOP candidate. I mean, why not Pat Sajak? At least Sajak is a conservative.

Honestly, I hope that the GOP dissolves and a new party emerges. I used to have pride in the party and what much of it stood for. I had great hopes that the progressive, socialist movement would be pushed out. After TR, Hoover, Nixon, Bush, Bush, and now Trump it appears that the Republican party is decidedly for the nationalist, statist philosophy.

I'm a Cruz supporter, and I'm sorry that he lost, but I was in the middle of writing him an email urging him to drop out - when he did.

I, at least, am in an "enviable" position; I live in California, and it DOES NOT MATTER who I vote for. Hillary or Sanders will most probably take California. So whether I vote for Donald or vote for the Libertarian (or don't mark that line at all), it won't make any difference. And in the HIGHLY UNLIKELY event that my vote might make a difference, the election will have been a "wave" election and it'll all be over before the California polls close.

I've always been tempted to vote Libertarian but held back on electability. Now the Trump has siphoned the conspiracy fetishists and white power types off the Libertarians it's easier to vote for them.

If Gary Johnson is the candidate he's light years ahead of Trump. A real businessman who did it himself without his dad cosigning loans into his 40's, three term governor who reduced spending and climbed all the highest mountains in the world! Don't agree with all his positions but he's not a con artist like Trump.

I have voted Libertarian for years. I don't believe the country is any better/worse for it. GOP is too far to the left for my liking.

IMO this is the first election where it truly doesn’t matter who wins.

The debt has grown another trillion since Boehner left office.

The GOP is no longer the opposition party. They have become the collaborator party.

The administrative state is out of control and does as it pleases while thumbing its nose at its congressional overseers, and the overseers seem good with it.

More companies are being destroyed than being created for the first time since records have been kept. Regulations and taxes are crushing them.

The Felon promises more of the same.

The Oaf promises to jack up the price of all consumer products by enacting huge tariffs. Which you and I will pay for when we buy things, without a corresponding raise, while damaging our export markets as the tariffed retaliate.

What is the surprise here? Other American institutions are out of touch and hollow, why not politics? It has become a mirror reflecting back the crass culture. I suspect that Trump is quite capable of being a good manager and knows perfectly well how to behave with dignity. But, had he done so, we wouldn't be talking about him now, to echo VDH. He gamed the system; it's a shtick; it's THEATER. It is too bad that it has come to this but it has been a long time coming.
Not a fan myself, but I am bemused by the histrionics that Trump engenders, pro and con. The real story here is how deep and wide spread the dissatisfaction is, across most demographics.
That said, I see the political elites, the skimming class, as creating the illusion of representing working people, while their solutions are for the economy of 50-200+ years ago. I hope it is the USA that figures out a way to dodge the bleak economic leveling that seems to be in the cards for the regular folks, driven by globalism and technology. Example, what are the jobs of the future going to look like and what will be the needed skill sets?

Given Trump's lack of credibility regarding his rivals in this campaign, I do wonder how normal people are supposed to discern when he is offering up flamboyant and bizarre accusations, and when he is being serious and truthful.

I supported Cruz, though I had doubts that he could be elected.
I would have preferred Kasich, given his proven track record of reigning in the federal budget, until his unfortunate remarks about Merrick Garland.
I think Trump is a crude opportunist, but will vote for him and encourage everyone I know to vote for him, since the future of the country hinges on the next supreme court nominee.
If Hillary is elected, the court will swing left and with that the death of any conservative legislation and the continued entrenchment of the unilateral executive branch and bureaucratic governance.
I'm going to trust Trump that we will honor his commitment to nominate a true conservative candidate in the tradition of Justice Scalia.
If Trump is elected it will be amazing how quickly the Supreme Court will demonstrate a move to reign in executive overreach-- especially by the left side of the court.
I think the future of a recognizable America is at stake here-- greater even than the looming debt cliff, immigration, health care failing by government meddling, over regulation stifling the private sector or the myriad other problems created in the name of progress.
Do not think we can recover from a socialist/leftist court. The damage will be permanent and don't think for a minute the court won't take advantage of the opportunity.

A friend on another site put it this way: Hillary Clinton would be like having your balls cut off with a chainsaw, while Trump would be like shooting arrows straight up into the air: you might get lucky.

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